In-situ investigations of magnetron sputtering processes with laboratory X-ray equipment

Abstract

An Fe–Al duplex film was prepared on a Si(111)-wafer by sputter deposition in a vacuum chamber with two integrated small magnetron sources. The chamber allows the in-situ investigation of such sputtering processes using grazing incidence X-ray reflectivity, X-ray scattering measurements and X-ray diffraction. We will present details of the new cell and present the first results obtained using reflectivity measurements of the Fe–Al thin films. Here we will focus on the detailed evaluation of the specular reflectivity data of the iron films only, which clearly indicates the presence of an iron oxide, the density and roughness of which were determined and their changes with the film thickness were discussed in the framework of thin film growth models.